Natural Selection
How is the term fitness used differently in regards to natural selection versus everyday conversation?
Fitness is a term of if you live or die basically, if you have high fitness you live, but if you have low fitness you die.
Explain LaMarck’s Theory regarding acquired characteristics. Was he correct or incorrect? Why?
LaMarck’s theory was basically if a parent changes their hair color or knows how to wash their hands their kid will have that hair color and know the same thing, but that is incorrect because only populations change not a single organism
What are homologous structures and how do they contribute to the concept of evolution?
They are characteristics that show similar origins but not always the same functions and they contribute because they show evolution throughout species
Explain how DNA can be used to contribute to the concept of relatedness and evolution.
Similar DNA between organisms shows that they evolved from each other, the more changes in the DNA the farther away they are related/time period
How can genetic drift cause a population gene pool to change?
Genetic drift is a random change in allele frequencies and this can cause a change in the gene pool because of the randomness
Explain the 4 parts of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection.
Variation - it is present in all populations
Variation is hereditary- some variation
More offspring are born than the amount that survive
Survive and reproduce - if you have more favorable/likable traits you will survive and reproduce
Identify an example and explain the process of sexual selection.
An example of sexual selection is tropical birds, the males try to impress the females with their skills and genes or how they look
What are vestigial structures and how do they contribute to the concept of evolution?
Vestigial structures are extra/unneeded structures from the species ancestors and this contributes because it shows that they evolved from a different kind of species
What is a gene pool? Explain using an example.
The total genetic diversity within a population or a species - combination of all genes, EX: showing all the different shades of hair color in a population
How can non-random mating cause a population gene pool to change?
Non-random mating would cause a change in the gene pool because alleles that are unwanted will start to disappear from the gene pool and more of the favorable alleles will fill the gene pool
Explain how you would artificially select for a specific trait in cats.
By not natural-controlling reproduction EX: if you want a cat with a long body you would specifically mate the siamese cat with either the abyssinian, british shorthair, or russian blue
What is the primary difference between natural selection and artificial selection?
Natural selection is more natural and there is preferences for females but for artificial selection it’s not natural and basically forced to get a specific trait
What are analogous structures and how do they contribute to the concept of evolution?
They are characteristics that show similar functions but have different structures and it shows how different species have evolved to become more similar
How can natural selection cause a population gene pool to change?
Natural selection changes a gene pool by keeping the most favorable adaptations
Explain the concept of coevolution. Include a specific example.
Coevolution is 2 organisms that evolve together because they need each other to survive. EX: a bee and a flower, the bee gets the nectar and pollen from the flower and the flower benefits from this because the bee can spread it pollen so it can create more flowers
Explain how the overuse of antibiotics can be a negative thing in terms of natural selection.
More antibiotics means more mutations and that antibiotics will most likely change their fitness level lower and they might not survive and reproduce.
Because of the overuse of antibiotics will increase the probability of certain types of the same bacteria to evolve into a better version of itself, able to get past the antibiotic
What is the true definition of biological evolution?
Successive genetic change in a population over generations - change of life
What is meant by convergent evolution? Include and explain an example to justify.
Convergent evolution is when unrelated species evolve similar physical characteristics because they have similar lifestyles, EX: dolphins, sharks, and penguins are all different species but they have similar physical characteristics
How can mutations cause a population gene pool to change?
The mutation can add a new allele variation to the gene pool and this can affect the gene pool greatly
Why is reproductive isolation important in terms of speciation?
Reproductive isolation is important because it is ways that species can’t create a new species
What is the smallest level of organization that can evolve? Explain.
A population because a individual can’t evolve on their own because they can’t change their own DNA
How is the fossil record used to help support the concept of evolution?
They give clues about the organisms that lived on earth years ago and helps us show that evolution has occurred
How is embryological evidence used to contribute to the concept of evolution?
The similar structure of embryos shows that they evolved from the same ancestors or each other which show that they are related
How can gene flow (immigration/ emigration) cause a population gene pool to change?
The entering or leaving of an individual can change the gene flow (small population) because if they join a population they can add genes to the gene pool and if they leave they might might take away a gene from the gene pool
Explain the difference between sympatric and allopatric speciation.
Sympatric means 2 groups that live in the same area or land and allopatric means 2 groups that have been separated or just live in different lands